Critics of Intelligent Design Theory sometimes confuse Intelligent Design with Scientific Creationism. The two are not the same. Scientific Creationism teaches 1) that there was a sudden creation of the universe out of nothing, 2) that natural selection is insufficient to account for “all living kinds from a single organism” 3) Changes in plants and animals “occur only within fixed limits,” 4) humans did not descend from apes, 5) the earth’s geology is largely explained by a worldwide flood, 6) the earth and life began relatively recently.
Intelligent Design, on the other hand, teaches that 1) “Specified complexity and irreducible complexity are reliable indicators or hallmarks of design, 2) “Biological systems exhibit specified complexity and employ irreducibly complex subsystems 3) “Naturalistic mechanisms or undirected causes do not suffice to explain the origin of specified complexity or irreducible complexity,” 4) “Therefore, intelligent design constitutes the best explanation for the origin of specified complexity and irreducible complexity in biological systems.” (William Dembski. The Design Revolution, 41-44).
Intelligent Design never argues on the basis of biblical texts. Those who argue that Intelligent Design is simply theology or Creationism in disguise may be arguing out of their ignorance of Intelligent Design Theory or they may be deliberately engaging in a smear campaign designed to discredit Intelligent Design.
